There are two things that work perfectly in Bollywood – tragedy and romance. And Kedarnath certainly will serve you both, if not in equal doses, at least proportionate to each other. The film grabbed eyeballs, even before the release of the movie. One, as it was announced as Sara Ali Khan’s (Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s daughter) debut film, and two, owing to the number of controversies and legal battles it was embroiled in. As far as the latter is concerned, we can finally say, all’s well that ends well, as the film is set to hit theatres tomorrow, December 7.

To give you the gist, Kedarnath has all the ingredients of a hit film – a fresh face (a star kid at that), an inter-faith love story, the backdrop of a real-life tragedy, and good performances. The film revolves around two individuals living in Uttrakhand’s Kedarnath – Mukku (Sara Ali Khan) and Mansoor (Sushant Singh Rajput) – who are poles apart in all respects. While Mukku is a firebrand and a rebel, Mansoor is endearing and soft-hearted. Mukku belongs to an influential pandit family and Mansoor is the son of a Muslim pithu. If Mukku is fire, Mansoor is ice. But the only thing that binds them is their love for each other, and of course, the disapproval of their respective families when it comes to their alliance.

The film is peppered with Mukku and Mansoor’s innocent romance and their frequent encounters, some of which will surely bring a smile on your face. On the other hand, the story’s sub-plot revolves around the commercialisation of the valley of Kedarnath with a deluge of pilgrims visiting the holy site every year. The central character in this sub-plot is Kullu (Nishant Dahiya), who is an influential man, and is mainly seen rooting the cause of more development in the area. He is also Mukku’s fiance. How Mukku and Mansoor’s love spells doom for them and how the rapid commercialisation in the area results in a tragedy of a monumental degree is what Kedarnath entails.

Sara Ali Khan as Mukku or Mandakini Mishra is convincing, and the newcomer is brilliant for her debut film. She comes in as a breath of fresh air. Clearly, acting is in her genes and her skill is already established. While she is impressive from the beginning, she really came into her own in the climax. Sushant, like always, gives a nuanced performance and becomes the character of Mansoor, effortlessly mixing restraint and aggression as required. Sara and Sushant’s on-screen chemistry is worth mentioning as well. The two actors looked in-sync and complemented each other in the scenes.

Abhishek Kapoor’s direction is good, and he has managed to tackle different elements in the film with the right kind of emotions. However, I feel, the VFX in the climax could have been better, and could have showcased the wrath of the 2013 Uttrakhand floods in a more impactful way. But this does not take away from the fact, that the effort is commendable.
The music of Amit Trivedi greatly added to the narrative, especially the love songs that helped establish Mukku and Mansoor’s feelings for each other. On the other hand, the emotionally resonant and powerful images brought on screen by cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray work well for the film.

While there isn’t much that didn’t work for the film, certain points need highlighting. While Sara’s character was quickly established, frequent reminders of her brash ways were meaningless in certain scenes and could have been avoided. The other issue was with a scene when Sara’s family gets to know about her affair with Sushant and all hell breaks loose. But when Sushant goes to her house to explain himself, the next thing you see is Kullu’s men waiting to hit him. The sudden appearance of the goons from nowhere seems out of place and Sara’s lack of emotion, even though for a reason, is not convincing.

In short, Kedarnath is an apt debut for Sara as it gives her the opportunity to show range in her performance. So, go watch the film this weekend. You won’t have any complaints.